06 December 2017

Chearffel Tower

1989 was a banner year for Walt Disney
World. It opened whole new worlds of entertainment through a new park
(Disney-MGM Studios), a new water park (Typhoon Lagoon), and a new nighttime
entertainment district (Pleasure Island), to name just a few of their
accomplishments that year. And yet, through it all, the folks at Disney didn’t
forget the little details that would seasonally change the environment and
spirit of their parks and resorts. To prove this point, we need look no further
than Disney-MGM Studios’ iconic water tower, the Earffel Tower.

Even during the park’s first holiday
season, the Earffel Tower had its yuletide spirit on display! In fact, during
that time of year it even changed its name to the Chearffel Tower. And in case
you think that simply adding a hat isn’t that big of an undertaking, notice how
many individuals it took to get the Santa hat properly placed atop the water tower.
And is it any wonder with a hat size of
342 3/8, with a diameter of 28.5, and a weight of 500 pounds?

The Earffel Tower would don many
disguises over the years, but none were as iconic as the Santa hat. This tradition
continued from 1989 until early into the new century, but it was eventually
retired. With the removal of the Earffel Tower in 2016, so to was the idea of
the return of the Santa-clad water tower. Still, we keep the season in our
hearts and not in our décor, but it was fun while it lasted and definitely
showed that park’s dedication to the season.